Interchangeable bristles for drummer&#39;s brushes



1955 F. A. POCHOBRADSKY 2,728,257

INTERCHANGEABLE BRISTLES FOR DRUMMER'S BRUSHES Filed Oct. 25, 1954INVENTOR. iM/KA Pmwmmy United States Patent INTERCHANGEABLE BRISTLES FORDRUMMERS BRUSHES Frank A. Pochobradsky, Sunnyside, N. Y.

Application October 25, 1954, Serial No. 464,426

2 Claims. (Cl. 84-422) This invention relates to musical instrumentsand, more particularly, to a drum brush. conventionally, a drum brushincludes a tubular handle, a rod slidable therein between extended andretracted positions, a ball or wire loop on one end of said rod, and aplurality of piano steel wires on the other end of the rod, said wiresbeing retractable into the handle on extension of the rod from thehandle. In the most usual construction, the named components arepermanently assembled with one another, in such a manner that one cannotsubstitute a new set of bristles when one set becomes worn, orsubstitute a rod having a ball end for a rod having a wire end, or viceversa. As a result, it is necessary, when the bristles become worn, todiscard the entire drum brush for a new one. Further, if the drummerdesires to use, on

different occasions, both the ball end or the loop end, it

is necessary to maintain one set of brushes having the first describedtype of end on the rod, and a second set having the other describedtype. Still further, in some instances it is desired that neither a ballnor a loop be provided on the drum brush, and under these circumstancesstill a third set of drum brushes may be required.

In view of the above, it is proposed, according to the presentinvention, to provide a drum brush in which one set of bristles can bereadily interchanged for another, without the necessity of discardingeither the handle or the rod. It is further proposed, in carrying outthe invention, to permit the substitution of different rods in a singlehandle, as desired by the user. In this way, the cost of this type ofequipment is reduced markedly, since the user need purchase, for usewith a single handle, readily interchangeable sets of bristles soldseparately from the handles and rods, and may further purchase differentrods, at comparatively low unit cost, for use with the single handle.

Another object of importance is to provide a drum brush as statedwherein the construction, though having the characteristic of readyinterchangeability of the several components, is still so designed as tobe capable of manufacture at little or no increase in cost above thatrequired in the making of drum brushes not having the desirablecharacteristics of the invention.

Another object of importance is to incorporate, in the means thatpermits removal and replacement or interchanging of the rods andbristles, a structure that permits the user to predetermine the extentto which the rod may be slidably adjusted inwardly of the handle. Byreason of this arrangement, the rod, each time it is adjusted inwardlyof the handle, will extend the bristles out of the handle the samedistance on each occasion. This is of importance, since the extent towhich the bristles project out of the handle determines the relativeflexibility thereof, and further determines the width of the fan as wellas the thickness of said fan, thus to produce a particular result duringthe playing of the drum, it being well understood among those skilled inthe art that the length and spread of the fan is of considerableimportance in producing diiferent kinds and styles of playing of thedrum.

Yet another object is to permit the interchangeability of different rodsand bristles to be accomplished with minimum difficulty and with maximumspeed.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects andadvantages thereof, reference will be had to the following descriptionand accompanying drawings, and to the appended claims in which thevarious novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure:

Fig. 1 is a view partly in elevation and partly in longitudinal sectionof a drum brush formed in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 in which the bristles have beenretracted into the handle concurrently with extension of the rod fromthe handle.

Fig. 3 is an elevational view of a loop-end rod capable of beingsubstituted for that shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged, detail sectional view on line 44 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of the drum brush, the rodbeing partially extended and the bushing being disengaged from thehandle.

The drum brush formed in accordance with the present invention includesan elongated, tubular handle 10 which in the illustrated example, butnot necessarily, is of circular cross section. The handle is constant inrespect to its inner and outer diameters for the greatest part of itslength, and at one end, is formed with internal threads 12, the otherend 14 being flattened and flared. The handle is formed open at bothends, and due to the flattened, flared formation of the end 14, at thisend has a slot-like end opening.

An elongated, straight rod 16, of a length closely approximating that ofthe handle, is slidable in an end-toend, axial bore 18 formed in abushing 20 having a reduced, externally threaded inner end portion 22threadably engageable with the threads 12 of the handle. Due to thereduced diameter of the end portion 22, there is defined upon thebushing 20, intermediate the opposite ends thereof, a circumferentialshoulder 24 against which the adjacent end of the handle 10 abuts whenthe bushing is threaded into the handle to the position shown in Figs. 1and 2.

Formed in the large diameter end portion of the bushing 20 is a radial,threaded opening, and engaged in said opening is a set screw 26, saidset screw being threadable into binding engagement with the rod 16 inselected positions to which the rod is longitudinally adjusted withinthe bushing.

One end of the rod 16 projects at all times exteriorly of the handle,and is embedded in a ball 23 of soft rubber. The other end 3.) of therod 16 is threaded, as shown to particular advantage in Fig. 4. A set offine gauge, rustproof, piano steel wires 32 is secured fixedly at itsinner end in the flattened, crimped end 34 of a short bristle supportsleeve 36. Sleeve 35, at its other end, is cylindrically formed, and acylindrical bushing 38 is seated in the cylindrical end of the sleeve36. Bushing 38 has an outer end formed with an outwardly directedcircumferential flange 4d abutting against the adjacent end of thesleeve 36, the flange ill being welded or otherwise fixedly secured at42 to the sleeve.

The bushing 33 has an end-to-end, threaded, axial bore 44, and thethreaded end 3% of the rod 16 is removably threaded into said bore.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the rod 16 can be telescoped into the tubularhandle it) to its full extent, and in this position of the rod 16, theset of bristles 32 projects out of the opposite end of the handle to itsmaximum extent. As a result, the bristles are spread out to theirmaximum extent in a fiat, wide fan, producing a particular sound whenapplied to a drum, not shown. If desired, the rod 16, instead of beingtelescoped into the handle for its full length, can be slidably extendedinto the handle for only a selected part of its length, thus to reducethe fan spread, to produce a diiferent sound.

Although the rod can be left free for telescopic adjustment within thehandle to any extent desired, it may be preferred to cause the rodtotelescope into the handle to the exact extent each time, to produce afan spread of the same width and thickness each time the set of bristlesis extended out of the rod. Under these circumstances, the set screw 26is turned home within its provided opening, into engagement with therod, so as to bind the rod against movement relative to its associatedbushing 20. The parts are all now held against relative movement in theselected position to which the rod 16 has been telescoped within thehandle so that there will be no possibility of the fan spread beingincreased or reduced accidentally, and so that, further, there will beno possibility of the fan spread adjustment being lost.

The purpose of the ball element 28 is to permit the drum brush to beused, at that end opposite from the bristles 32, for playing xylophones,glockenspiels, or similar instruments. With the set screw loosened, theball end of the rod can be extended away from the handle as desired, tofacilitate the playing of such instruments. Alternatively, the user maydesire to leave the rod in its telescoped, retracted position with theset screw 26 tightened, so as to prepare the selected fan spreadadjustment.

If it is desired to change bristles, the user need only unthread thebushing from the handle, after which the bushing, rod, and bristles canbe pulled out of the handle. The rod is now unthreaded from the bushing38, and a new set of bristles, having its own sleeve 36 and bushing 38,can now be attached to the rod 16, inserted in the handle 10, and madeready for use by threading of the bushing into the handle 10 once again.

If, further, it is desired at any time to change rods, this can be donemerely by extending the bristles to the Fig. 1 position thereof, andloosening the set screw 26. The rod is now rotated to disengage the samefrom the bushing 38 and is removed for substitution of a diflerent rodas, for example, a rod 16 having threads 30* at one end and a wire loopend 28 at its opposite end.

It will be seen that the arrangement permits a considerable reduction incost of the drum brushes, since the user can replace bristles at anytime without at the same time having to purchase a new handle and rod,that is, a completely new brush. This is of considerable importance, inview of the fact that the life of the thin gauge wire bristles isextremely short, since the bristles bend and coil out of shape.

Further, the drummer need not have different sets of brushes havingvarious types of ends on the rods, and can merely purchase diiferentrods, capable of being readily interchanged without the necessity ofhaving a different handle and set of bristles for each rod used.

It is to be understood that although a threaded connection has beenshown between the rod and the bristle support sleeve 36, any of variousother types of separable connections can be employed. For example, a setscrew might be used, extending through the sleeve 36 into engagementwith the rod. Or, a latch or detent means can be employed. Thesemodifications are considered to be readily understood by those skilledin the art, and hence it is not thought necessary to illustrate the sameherein.

It is also important to note that under some circumstances, the playermay not desire to use a rod having a ball or loop end, and it will beobserved that the construction illustrated readily permits conversion ofthe drum brush into one of this type characterized by its absence of aball or loop end rod.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of myinvention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to theprecise construction herein disclosed and the right is reserved to allchanges and modifications coming within the scope of the invention asdefined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by United States Letters Patent is:

l. A drum brush comprising a tubular handle open at both ends, one endthereof being flattened and flared, a rod slidably and adjustablymounted in said handle with one end thereof protruding outwardly of thehandle and with its other inner end being threaded, a spherical memberon the outer end of said rod, a brush assembly connected to the innerend of said rod, said assembly in cluding a sleeve inside the handle,said sleeve having a flattened end clamping one end of a cluster ofwires, the oher end of the wires protruding outwardly of the flared endof the handle in spread formation, an internally screw-threaded bushingsecured in the other end of the sleeve in threaded engagement with thethreaded end of said rod, and means for holding the rod againstlongitudinal displacement in the handle.

2. A drum brush comprising a tubular handle open at both ends, one endthereof being flattened and flared, the other end thereof beinginternally screw threaded, a bushing threaded into the threaded end ofsaid handle and having an outwardly protruding portion with a threadedopening, a rod slidably and adjustably extending through said bushinginto the interior of the handle, one end of said rod protrudingoutwardly of the handle, the inner end thereof being screw threaded,means for holding said rod against longitudinal displacement in thebandle, a spherical member on the outer end of said rod, a brushassembly connected to the inner end of said rod, said assembly includinga sleeve inside the handle, said sleeve having a flattened end clampingone end of a cluster of wires, the other end of the wires protrudingoutwardly of the flared end of the handle in spread formation, and aninternally screw threaded bushing secured in the other end of the sleevein threaded engagement with the threaded end of said rod, said rodholding means including a set screw extending through the threadedopening in the bushing in the end of the handle and adapted to engagesaid rod.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

